4 screening officers at Manila airport probed over stolen, swallowed US$300 bills
MANILA – Manila’s airport authorities have expanded their probe into a screening officer seen in a video swallowing US$300 (S$410) worth of cash filched off a passenger’s wallet to include three of her suspected accomplices.
On Sept 8, a checkpoint supervisor reported that a passenger lost US$300 worth of cash at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia).
Footage from a security camera showed a female screening officer stealing and swallowing the missing cash.
The Office for Transportation Security (OTS) is investigating four screening officers allegedly involved in a theft incident at Ninoy Aquino International Airport, where one allegedly swallowed $300 in cash.
Mr Ma. O Aplasca, administrator of the Office for Transportation Security (OTS), said three more security officers had been identified as her accomplices.
“There are four screening officers now being investigated, and (it) possibly has something to do with the incident,” Mr Aplasca said in an ANC interview on Friday.
He said despite all the evidence gathered, the main culprit behind the theft continues to deny that she stole or swallowed the US$300 bills.
“But based on the evidence gathered by our investigators, I think we have evidence to charge her and her accomplices,” said Mr Aplasca.
He said Transportation Minister Jaime Bautista has already ordered the agency to file administrative and criminal cases against the suspect.
Mr Aplasca said while this marks the fifth recorded theft incident at Naia in 2023, IT IS the first instance where an officer resorted to swallowing stolen cash.
To combat such incidents, HE said the OTS has already initiated several initiatives like removing the pockets from its employees’ uniforms, banning them from wearing jackets, revamping assignments, and placing additional security cameras near checkpoints. - THE PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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